Carbapenem resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii clinical isolates from northwest Iran: high prevalence of OXA genes in sync

• Published in: Iranian journal of microbiology Vol. 13; no. 3; pp. 282 - 293
• Main Authors: Vahhabi, Abolfazl, Hasani, Alka, Rezaee, Mohammad Ahangarzadeh, Baradaran, Behzad, Hasani, Akbar, Kafil, Hossein Samadi, Soltani, Elgar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Iran Tehran University of Medical Sciences 01-06-2021
• Subjects: acinetobacter baumannii; beta-lactamase; carbapenemase; carbapenems; drug resistance; multiplex polymerase chain reaction; Original; oxacillinase; Beta-lactamase; Acinetobacter baumannii; Oxacillinase; Multiplex polymerase chain reaction; Carbapenemase; Carbapenems; Drug resistance
• ISSN: 2008-3289; 2008-4447
• DOI: 10.18502/ijm.v13i3.6388

Carbapenem treatment for
infections presently faces threats owing to the production of several types of carbapenemase enzymes, prevalence of which varies among different countries. We explored the current trend of antibiotic resistance in
clinical isolates from North West Iran, sought the mechanism of carbapenem resistance and addressed the sequence type groups in carbapenem resistant
(CRAB).
(n=112) isolates were recovered from various clinical specimens of patients admitted in internal, surgery, burn, infectious diseases and various ICUs wards. Genetically confirmed
isolates were screened for carbapenem resistance by the Kirby-Bauer and E-test and the presence of
,
, IS
genes by PCR. Sequence groups were identified by multiplex PCR.
Multidrug-resistance (MDR) was a characteristic feature of all
isolates. Frequency of oxacillinase genes in combination including
/
,
/bla
and
/
/
was 82.1%, 36.6% and 25.8% respectively. Blending of oxacillinase and MBL genes was evident in eight
positive and 7
positive isolates thereby depicting synchronous etiology of carbapenem resistance. Amongst CRAB isolates, 97.3% contained IS
element and 50.9% belonged to the European clone II.
Synchronicity among
with
and IS
gene was a hallmark of this investigation. Though origin or route of transmission was not elucidated in this study but co-existence among OXA and MBL producing genes is a therapeutic concern demanding strict surveillance strategies and control programs to halt the dissemination of these isolates in the hospital setting.